Making chemistry notes
I have always been terrible at making notes and I didn't even bother organising any during A-Levels, only used textbooks.
I'm doing chemistry at uni soon and I am going to need to figure something out, I'm really not sure how to plan to do it.
I think I need to have them be digital because I don't want to have to keep papers safe and organised but with chemistry it'll be difficult to use plain text software :/.
I do have a very cheap Wacom drawing tablet but no kind of touchscreen device other than my phone and not sure if it's worth getting one for notes.
How do other people take chemistry or similar subject notes? Thanks
I'm doing chemistry at uni soon and I am going to need to figure something out, I'm really not sure how to plan to do it.
I think I need to have them be digital because I don't want to have to keep papers safe and organised but with chemistry it'll be difficult to use plain text software :/.
I do have a very cheap Wacom drawing tablet but no kind of touchscreen device other than my phone and not sure if it's worth getting one for notes.
How do other people take chemistry or similar subject notes? Thanks
(edited 8 months ago)
I took A level chemistry and I used the 'goodnotes' app on an iPad pro.
It is honestly good. You can make folders and within the folders you can make quick notes and notebooks - I really like how you can organise them. I organised mine topic by topic, so I made a folder for each topic and within the folder I had multiple 'books' or pages of notes and I just wrote notes from each lesson in them (+ labelling each by lesson).
(the quick note which makes pages is accumulated under 1 title so it is all together unless you make a new 'quicknote'.)
It also has a great function where you can download the power points / slides your teacher has given you, and you can just write on top of those! Taking notes on an iPad also reduces paper usage and is so easy to store and compact, the weight reduction from books of notes to just an iPad is so nice hahah.
The 'goodnotes' app is not free though but I 100% think its worth it. However I don't think you need an iPad pro at all and can go for any other iPads that it within your price range or function range..
However a con is that I am lowkey a perfectionist and so when I note take I don't use my handwriting - I use the function where what you write turns into text, and when doing chemistry the words are not always accurate and can be time consuming to type as I didn't get a keyboard with it. However thats just me and you could always get a keyboard with it and type stuff up on it if you don't end up liking your handwriting.
You should definitely go to the apple store and try it out. I hope that helps even if its a little!
It is honestly good. You can make folders and within the folders you can make quick notes and notebooks - I really like how you can organise them. I organised mine topic by topic, so I made a folder for each topic and within the folder I had multiple 'books' or pages of notes and I just wrote notes from each lesson in them (+ labelling each by lesson).
(the quick note which makes pages is accumulated under 1 title so it is all together unless you make a new 'quicknote'.)
It also has a great function where you can download the power points / slides your teacher has given you, and you can just write on top of those! Taking notes on an iPad also reduces paper usage and is so easy to store and compact, the weight reduction from books of notes to just an iPad is so nice hahah.
The 'goodnotes' app is not free though but I 100% think its worth it. However I don't think you need an iPad pro at all and can go for any other iPads that it within your price range or function range..
However a con is that I am lowkey a perfectionist and so when I note take I don't use my handwriting - I use the function where what you write turns into text, and when doing chemistry the words are not always accurate and can be time consuming to type as I didn't get a keyboard with it. However thats just me and you could always get a keyboard with it and type stuff up on it if you don't end up liking your handwriting.
You should definitely go to the apple store and try it out. I hope that helps even if its a little!
Hi there, I've just gotten to the end of 1st year of Chemistry at Imperial College London.
Definitely it is worth having digital notes, and a 4th year researcher who was staying in my halls as a senior told me that an iPad with Apple Pencil is one of the best things a chemistry student can get. But I still don't have one... was saving up and hoping to get one this summer.
When we were new one of the first pieces of software we were introduced to is a software called ChemDraw.
It's extremely intuitive and helps us draw chemical structures fairly easily.
It's nowhere near as fast as hand-drawing, and you will not be able to keep up in lectures if you are using ChemDraw, but it is hugely useful for "neat" notes, powerpoint slides or assignments.
One of the biggest things I learned is my lecture notes technique.
Each of our lectures will have a set of powerpoint slides, and what I have found works best for me is to print out the lecture slides but shrink them down so there is space around each slide, then annotate the slides with different colored pens / highlighters as the lecture is going on.
That way, you do not need to copy down anything on the slides, which will save you from copying structures, but you will have plenty of space to annotate anything else the lecturer says + add anything you learn from recommended reading / tutorials / workshops / revision etc.
I print and use pen and paper but if you have a tablet then you can also use OneNote, Evernote, Apple Freeform or the draw feature in Word or anything similar that works for you.
MAKE SURE TO LEAVE ENOUGH SPACE! I cannot stress this enough. It is not worth trying to save paper / ink / money by printing two slides per side of A4.
You can and should print on both sides of the paper, but only one slide per side of A4!
Just make sure the slide is shrunk down to ~75% (plus or minus a few % depending on the font size on the slide), so there is lots of space.
If you are going to use pen and paper like me then take the time to make files for each module and keep your notes organized.
It came in handy for us - we have open notes exams so I could just take my files into the exam with me and use them to help me answer the problem-solving questions. The disadvantage to open notes exams is that there is a lot less less knowledge recall.
If you need any more tips feel free to DM me!
Definitely it is worth having digital notes, and a 4th year researcher who was staying in my halls as a senior told me that an iPad with Apple Pencil is one of the best things a chemistry student can get. But I still don't have one... was saving up and hoping to get one this summer.
When we were new one of the first pieces of software we were introduced to is a software called ChemDraw.
It's extremely intuitive and helps us draw chemical structures fairly easily.
It's nowhere near as fast as hand-drawing, and you will not be able to keep up in lectures if you are using ChemDraw, but it is hugely useful for "neat" notes, powerpoint slides or assignments.
One of the biggest things I learned is my lecture notes technique.
Each of our lectures will have a set of powerpoint slides, and what I have found works best for me is to print out the lecture slides but shrink them down so there is space around each slide, then annotate the slides with different colored pens / highlighters as the lecture is going on.
That way, you do not need to copy down anything on the slides, which will save you from copying structures, but you will have plenty of space to annotate anything else the lecturer says + add anything you learn from recommended reading / tutorials / workshops / revision etc.
I print and use pen and paper but if you have a tablet then you can also use OneNote, Evernote, Apple Freeform or the draw feature in Word or anything similar that works for you.
MAKE SURE TO LEAVE ENOUGH SPACE! I cannot stress this enough. It is not worth trying to save paper / ink / money by printing two slides per side of A4.
You can and should print on both sides of the paper, but only one slide per side of A4!
Just make sure the slide is shrunk down to ~75% (plus or minus a few % depending on the font size on the slide), so there is lots of space.
If you are going to use pen and paper like me then take the time to make files for each module and keep your notes organized.
It came in handy for us - we have open notes exams so I could just take my files into the exam with me and use them to help me answer the problem-solving questions. The disadvantage to open notes exams is that there is a lot less less knowledge recall.
If you need any more tips feel free to DM me!
Original post by EpicChefUK
Hi there, I've just gotten to the end of 1st year of Chemistry at Imperial College London.
Definitely it is worth having digital notes, and a 4th year researcher who was staying in my halls as a senior told me that an iPad with Apple Pencil is one of the best things a chemistry student can get. But I still don't have one... was saving up and hoping to get one this summer.
When we were new one of the first pieces of software we were introduced to is a software called ChemDraw.
It's extremely intuitive and helps us draw chemical structures fairly easily.
It's nowhere near as fast as hand-drawing, and you will not be able to keep up in lectures if you are using ChemDraw, but it is hugely useful for "neat" notes, powerpoint slides or assignments.
One of the biggest things I learned is my lecture notes technique.
Each of our lectures will have a set of powerpoint slides, and what I have found works best for me is to print out the lecture slides but shrink them down so there is space around each slide, then annotate the slides with different colored pens / highlighters as the lecture is going on.
That way, you do not need to copy down anything on the slides, which will save you from copying structures, but you will have plenty of space to annotate anything else the lecturer says + add anything you learn from recommended reading / tutorials / workshops / revision etc.
I print and use pen and paper but if you have a tablet then you can also use OneNote, Evernote, Apple Freeform or the draw feature in Word or anything similar that works for you.
MAKE SURE TO LEAVE ENOUGH SPACE! I cannot stress this enough. It is not worth trying to save paper / ink / money by printing two slides per side of A4.
You can and should print on both sides of the paper, but only one slide per side of A4!
Just make sure the slide is shrunk down to ~75% (plus or minus a few % depending on the font size on the slide), so there is lots of space.
If you are going to use pen and paper like me then take the time to make files for each module and keep your notes organized.
It came in handy for us - we have open notes exams so I could just take my files into the exam with me and use them to help me answer the problem-solving questions. The disadvantage to open notes exams is that there is a lot less less knowledge recall.
If you need any more tips feel free to DM me!
Definitely it is worth having digital notes, and a 4th year researcher who was staying in my halls as a senior told me that an iPad with Apple Pencil is one of the best things a chemistry student can get. But I still don't have one... was saving up and hoping to get one this summer.
When we were new one of the first pieces of software we were introduced to is a software called ChemDraw.
It's extremely intuitive and helps us draw chemical structures fairly easily.
It's nowhere near as fast as hand-drawing, and you will not be able to keep up in lectures if you are using ChemDraw, but it is hugely useful for "neat" notes, powerpoint slides or assignments.
One of the biggest things I learned is my lecture notes technique.
Each of our lectures will have a set of powerpoint slides, and what I have found works best for me is to print out the lecture slides but shrink them down so there is space around each slide, then annotate the slides with different colored pens / highlighters as the lecture is going on.
That way, you do not need to copy down anything on the slides, which will save you from copying structures, but you will have plenty of space to annotate anything else the lecturer says + add anything you learn from recommended reading / tutorials / workshops / revision etc.
I print and use pen and paper but if you have a tablet then you can also use OneNote, Evernote, Apple Freeform or the draw feature in Word or anything similar that works for you.
MAKE SURE TO LEAVE ENOUGH SPACE! I cannot stress this enough. It is not worth trying to save paper / ink / money by printing two slides per side of A4.
You can and should print on both sides of the paper, but only one slide per side of A4!
Just make sure the slide is shrunk down to ~75% (plus or minus a few % depending on the font size on the slide), so there is lots of space.
If you are going to use pen and paper like me then take the time to make files for each module and keep your notes organized.
It came in handy for us - we have open notes exams so I could just take my files into the exam with me and use them to help me answer the problem-solving questions. The disadvantage to open notes exams is that there is a lot less less knowledge recall.
If you need any more tips feel free to DM me!
Thanks so much!! You're a lifesaver, really appreciate all your detail, printing lecture slides sounds like such a practical technique I will 100% try that as soon as I start. Definitely feel a lot less like I'll end up with a huge mess of notes doing that method hah
Original post by EpicChefUK
Hi there, I've just gotten to the end of 1st year of Chemistry at Imperial College London.
Definitely it is worth having digital notes, and a 4th year researcher who was staying in my halls as a senior told me that an iPad with Apple Pencil is one of the best things a chemistry student can get. But I still don't have one... was saving up and hoping to get one this summer.
When we were new one of the first pieces of software we were introduced to is a software called ChemDraw.
It's extremely intuitive and helps us draw chemical structures fairly easily.
It's nowhere near as fast as hand-drawing, and you will not be able to keep up in lectures if you are using ChemDraw, but it is hugely useful for "neat" notes, powerpoint slides or assignments.
One of the biggest things I learned is my lecture notes technique.
Each of our lectures will have a set of powerpoint slides, and what I have found works best for me is to print out the lecture slides but shrink them down so there is space around each slide, then annotate the slides with different colored pens / highlighters as the lecture is going on.
That way, you do not need to copy down anything on the slides, which will save you from copying structures, but you will have plenty of space to annotate anything else the lecturer says + add anything you learn from recommended reading / tutorials / workshops / revision etc.
I print and use pen and paper but if you have a tablet then you can also use OneNote, Evernote, Apple Freeform or the draw feature in Word or anything similar that works for you.
MAKE SURE TO LEAVE ENOUGH SPACE! I cannot stress this enough. It is not worth trying to save paper / ink / money by printing two slides per side of A4.
You can and should print on both sides of the paper, but only one slide per side of A4!
Just make sure the slide is shrunk down to ~75% (plus or minus a few % depending on the font size on the slide), so there is lots of space.
If you are going to use pen and paper like me then take the time to make files for each module and keep your notes organized.
It came in handy for us - we have open notes exams so I could just take my files into the exam with me and use them to help me answer the problem-solving questions. The disadvantage to open notes exams is that there is a lot less less knowledge recall.
If you need any more tips feel free to DM me!
Definitely it is worth having digital notes, and a 4th year researcher who was staying in my halls as a senior told me that an iPad with Apple Pencil is one of the best things a chemistry student can get. But I still don't have one... was saving up and hoping to get one this summer.
When we were new one of the first pieces of software we were introduced to is a software called ChemDraw.
It's extremely intuitive and helps us draw chemical structures fairly easily.
It's nowhere near as fast as hand-drawing, and you will not be able to keep up in lectures if you are using ChemDraw, but it is hugely useful for "neat" notes, powerpoint slides or assignments.
One of the biggest things I learned is my lecture notes technique.
Each of our lectures will have a set of powerpoint slides, and what I have found works best for me is to print out the lecture slides but shrink them down so there is space around each slide, then annotate the slides with different colored pens / highlighters as the lecture is going on.
That way, you do not need to copy down anything on the slides, which will save you from copying structures, but you will have plenty of space to annotate anything else the lecturer says + add anything you learn from recommended reading / tutorials / workshops / revision etc.
I print and use pen and paper but if you have a tablet then you can also use OneNote, Evernote, Apple Freeform or the draw feature in Word or anything similar that works for you.
MAKE SURE TO LEAVE ENOUGH SPACE! I cannot stress this enough. It is not worth trying to save paper / ink / money by printing two slides per side of A4.
You can and should print on both sides of the paper, but only one slide per side of A4!
Just make sure the slide is shrunk down to ~75% (plus or minus a few % depending on the font size on the slide), so there is lots of space.
If you are going to use pen and paper like me then take the time to make files for each module and keep your notes organized.
It came in handy for us - we have open notes exams so I could just take my files into the exam with me and use them to help me answer the problem-solving questions. The disadvantage to open notes exams is that there is a lot less less knowledge recall.
If you need any more tips feel free to DM me!
Hi there!
I was just wondering if the Imperial Full Time Scholarship (probably in medicine), applies to every year or once every 3 years?
Original post by jjeeeeeea
I have always been terrible at making notes and I didn't even bother organising any during A-Levels, only used textbooks.
I'm doing chemistry at uni soon and I am going to need to figure something out, I'm really not sure how to plan to do it.
I think I need to have them be digital because I don't want to have to keep papers safe and organised but with chemistry it'll be difficult to use plain text software :/.
I do have a very cheap Wacom drawing tablet but no kind of touchscreen device other than my phone and not sure if it's worth getting one for notes.
How do other people take chemistry or similar subject notes? Thanks
I'm doing chemistry at uni soon and I am going to need to figure something out, I'm really not sure how to plan to do it.
I think I need to have them be digital because I don't want to have to keep papers safe and organised but with chemistry it'll be difficult to use plain text software :/.
I do have a very cheap Wacom drawing tablet but no kind of touchscreen device other than my phone and not sure if it's worth getting one for notes.
How do other people take chemistry or similar subject notes? Thanks
Hi @jjeeeeeea,
I'm a second-year chemistry student and I would definitely recommend going paperless because there's so much content!! In my first year, I hand-wrote my notes and printed powerpoint slides but being disorganised I would forget what I had done and redo lectures or lose half-finished courseworks which was so annoying. Throughout second-year I used an iPad and the Goodnotes app. I could also always access textbooks this way via the uni library website. It was so much easier to keep track of things and it was much less heavy in my bag.
I still choose to use the powerpoints and hand-write around them because it helps me remember content better. However, everyone has their own method of making notes. I'd suggest using the first week to try and figure out what works for you. Some people like to type on laptops, some people just listen in lectures, some have notebooks and some have touchscreen laptops so they can type notes but still draw molecules.
I would definitely recommend trying to have a computer and a tablet if possible (or combined like a touch-screen laptop) because throughout my second-year I studied computational chemistry and other modules like thermodynamics that required computer software not available on my iPad. Having a laptop as well made it so much easier to do coursework at home, instead of being on campus all the time to use their computers.
Good luck at uni!
-Beth (Lancaster Student Ambassador)
Psychologically speaking, hand-written notes are more effective for learning, and particularly so if you then pass them into digital format for storage.
The action of forming words by hand has more impact on the learning process than striking keys. The same is true for revision; write down that which you are trying to learn BUT don't copy.
The action of forming words by hand has more impact on the learning process than striking keys. The same is true for revision; write down that which you are trying to learn BUT don't copy.
Original post by charco
Psychologically speaking, hand-written notes are more effective for learning, and particularly so if you then pass them into digital format for storage.
The action of forming words by hand has more impact on the learning process than striking keys. The same is true for revision; write down that which you are trying to learn BUT don't copy.
The action of forming words by hand has more impact on the learning process than striking keys. The same is true for revision; write down that which you are trying to learn BUT don't copy.
This is true from a purely psychological perspective, but it's not the whole story.
Some people can make condensed / shorthand notes and be able to "read" the extra detail between the lines.
Others, myself included, need more verbose notes that spell out every single detail, miss out very little, and make explicit the links between various lectures (eg if something in lecture 4 builds on lecture 2, to mention that clearly) then when you're revising you can ensure you make those links between topics.
If your writing speed is slow and you like to have verbose notes then you may not be able to keep up handwriting everything in lectures and typing could be a lot faster.
Hi! I did chemistry at uni and one thing I noticed was that writing clearer mechanisms really helped me as I'm a visual learner. I used this notepad for writing organic chem mechanisms a lot, and it made sure that I wrote down the incorrect things I was doing on the sides so I'd deffo recommend that.
I also looked up on google, pdfs of other lecturers notes on the topic as it would be explained in a different way, and id finally understand lmao
I also looked up on google, pdfs of other lecturers notes on the topic as it would be explained in a different way, and id finally understand lmao
(edited 7 months ago)
Original post by jjeeeeeea
I have always been terrible at making notes and I didn't even bother organising any during A-Levels, only used textbooks.
I'm doing chemistry at uni soon and I am going to need to figure something out, I'm really not sure how to plan to do it.
I think I need to have them be digital because I don't want to have to keep papers safe and organised but with chemistry it'll be difficult to use plain text software :/.
I do have a very cheap Wacom drawing tablet but no kind of touchscreen device other than my phone and not sure if it's worth getting one for notes.
How do other people take chemistry or similar subject notes? Thanks
I'm doing chemistry at uni soon and I am going to need to figure something out, I'm really not sure how to plan to do it.
I think I need to have them be digital because I don't want to have to keep papers safe and organised but with chemistry it'll be difficult to use plain text software :/.
I do have a very cheap Wacom drawing tablet but no kind of touchscreen device other than my phone and not sure if it's worth getting one for notes.
How do other people take chemistry or similar subject notes? Thanks
google docs bro
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Rate my study plan
- How to revise
- GCSE Exam Discussions 2024
- Doing well in A levels
- AQA A-Level Chemistry - Learning Content
- a level revision notes
- Keep Your Ion The Prize | Shyleen’s First Year University GYG | 2022 - 2023
- chemistry alevel mock
- chemistry/physics version of biologywitholivia
- SQA Higher Chemistry
- A level help!!
- Rate my study plan (A-lvl stem student + psych)
- Any 2nd year or 3rd year students doing chemistry?
- How should I study organic chemistry?
- A Level Advice
- How to get A/A* in A level chemistry
- A-level chemistry notes or not?
- Is note-taking worth it for science a levels??
- chemistry revision
- Do you think it is possible to learn 4 months of missed content of bio and chem
Latest
Trending
Last reply 1 week ago
Im confused about this chemistry question, why does it form these productsTrending
Last reply 1 week ago
Im confused about this chemistry question, why does it form these products
